New Delhi, August 24
India will sorely miss Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan in next month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka but the presence of match-winners and the balance of the team still make them the tournament favourite, said Harbhajan Singh. Talking to reporters after unveiling the Compaq Cup 2009, which will be given to the winner of the tri-series also featuring New Zealand, Harbhajan conceded it would not be easy to replace players like Sehwag and Zaheer but felt the team could still pull it off.

DDCA vs PlayersSehwag meets Arun Jaitely
New Delhi, August 24
The Virender Sehwag-led players’ revolt against the Delhi and District Cricket Association could end soon after DDCA President Arun Jaitely promised to address their grievances today. Jaitely met Sehwag on Monday to discuss the unrest which has rocked DDCA. Sehwag, along with other star players like Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma, were not attending Delhi’s pre-season training camps for
Ranji.

England blossoming under FlowerLondon, August 24
England captain Andrew Strauss has credited their dramatic Ashes success
to coach Andy Flower, saying he had the vision as well as communication
skills to drive it through the players. The former Zimbabwe batsman,
Flower took over from Peter Moores, who was sacked after he fell out
with the then captain Kevin Pietersen."We were in a
pretty bad state to be honest with you and it says a huge amount for whatAndy Flower has done. — Andrew Strauss

Inter Corporate National CricketTop cricketers in the fray
Mohali, August 24
Top cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and VVS Laxman are likely to participate in the Invitation Inter Corporate National Cricket Tournament slated to be held from September 1 to 8. Four matches, including the second semifinal on September 6, will be played at the PCA Stadium here, while the rest will be in
Bangalore, Dharamsala and Vizag.

5000-strong Aussie contingent for CWG
Canberra/Melbourne, August 24
While for the Australian government “security of players is of prime importance and it cannot force its national sports associations or federations to participate in a particular event”, yet it has been looking forward to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi where it proposes to send a contingent of 5,000, including sportsmen and women, officials and cheer leaders.

Nehru CupSyria blank Sri Lanka
New Delhi, August 24
Syria packed a punch too many to muzzle Sri Lanka 4-0 to record their second consecutive victory in the Nehru Cup International Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here today. Syria, the highest-ranked team in the tournament, and last year's runners-up, were not in a hurry to score goals as they took 26 minutes to get into their groove.

New Delhi, August 24
India will sorely miss Virender Sehwag and Zaheer Khan in next month’s tri-series in Sri Lanka but the presence of match-winners and the balance of the team still make them the tournament favourite, said Harbhajan Singh. Talking to reporters after unveiling the Compaq Cup 2009, which will be given to the winner of the tri-series also featuring New Zealand, Harbhajan conceded it would not be easy to replace players like Sehwag and Zaheer but felt the team could still pull it off.

“Sehwag is a key player. Any team in the world would miss a player like him. But now that he would not be playing, we would have to do well without him,” Harbhajan said. He said the return of veterans Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid would offset Sehwag’s loss.

“We are a strong team and it’s a balanced side. Besides, we have a number of match-winning players in the ranks. We have the youngsters and then you have experienced players like Dravid, Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh. If we play to our potential, we would return with this lovely trophy,” he said after unveiling world’s first digital sports trophy.

Like Sehwag, Zaheer too underwent a shoulder surgery which ruled him out of the tri-series and the subsequent Champions Trophy but Harbhajan seemed to have enough trust on other pacers to pull it off.

‘Australia still missing Warne, McGrath’

Harbhajan Singh offered no sympathy to Ricky Ponting and his grief-stricken teammates on their Ashes debacle and said they are still missing Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. As expected, Harbhajan looked rather amused by Australia’s Ashes defeat as he went on to highlight the positive implications of England’s Ashes triumph.

“Congratulations,” was his spontaneous response when he was told about Australia’s defeat and was asked to comment on. “Honestly speaking, I was too busy with my new house (in Jalandhar) and did not see much of Ashes. But it’s great to see other teams dominating Australia. England clearly played better and deserved to win,” said the off-spinner.

On a more serious note, Harbhajan said Australia were struggling to adjust to a life without Warne and McGrath. “They are clearly missing players of the calibres of Warne and McGrath. You have to remember that bowlers win you Test matches and you have to take 20 wickets to win a Test. Warne and McGrath were the biggest pillars in Australian cricket and I think it would take time before Australia find their replacements.”

Asked if he felt even Symonds too was missed, Harbhajan side-stepped the provocation. “See, Symonds, as long as he was part of the team, did well for Australia. He is a very, very good player. But I think more than Symonds or even (Adam) Gilchrist, Australia sorely missed Warne and McGrath,” he said.

Harbhajan and Symonds were the main protagonists of the 2007 ‘Monkeygate scandal’ that threatened to rip apart world cricket. Harbhajan was accused of calling Symonds a monkey before Justice John Hansen exonerated him of the charge.

Harbhajan said The Oval, venue of fifth and final Ashes Test, offered enough turn and Australia made a mistake by leaving out off-spinner Nathan Hauritz. “Had I been there, I would have taken 10 wickets and prevented Australia’s defeat,” he quipped before adding “there was enough turn on the track.”

England yesterday pulled off a sensational 197-run victory over Australia in the fifth and final cricket Test to regain the Ashes urn after a four-year gap. After the defeat, Australia slipped to number four in Test rankings while captain Ricky Ponting suffered the ignominy of being the only the second Australia captain in 132 years of Ashes history to lose two series on England soil.
— PTI

New Delhi, August 24
The Virender Sehwag-led players’ revolt against the Delhi and District Cricket Association could end soon after DDCA President Arun Jaitely promised to address their grievances today. Jaitely met Sehwag on Monday to discuss the unrest which has rocked DDCA. Sehwag, along with other star players like Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma, were not attending Delhi’s pre-season training camps for Ranji.

Gambhir and Ishant re-joined the camp today after Jaitely’s assurances. Sources said Jaitely has told
Sehwag that players’ complaints against the all-powerful Sports Committee would be considered. “Jaitley has told them that their complaints would be given due consideration,” he said.

The Indian opener is likely to meet Jaitel again tomorrow. Sehwag has been leading the revolt against
DDCA, alleging corruption and nepotism in selection procedure. His charges were backed by DDCA vice-President and selection committee chairman Chetan Chauhan. Sehwag had threatened to leave Delhi for Haryana if
his grievances were not ddressed. — PTI

London, August 24
England captain Andrew Strauss has credited their dramatic Ashes success to coach Andy Flower, saying he had the vision as well as communication skills to drive it through the players. The former Zimbabwe batsman, Flower took over from Peter Moores, who was sacked after he fell out with the then captain Kevin Pietersen.

“We were in a pretty bad state to be honest with you (when he and Flower teamed up) and it says a huge amount for what Andy Flower has done,” Strauss said after leading England to 197-run in the fifth and final Test against Australia to clinch the Ashes urn yesterday.

“One of the important things is having a vision of where you need to go and that’s something we’ve had to sit down and think about and then the most important thing is driving that vision through. The way he communicates with the players and drives us, he’s trying to take us to a different place to where we’ve been before and it’s fantastic to be able to work with him. Hopefully, we’ve got a long way to go in that respect as well,” he said.

Elaborating on Flower’s style of functioning, Strauss said the 63-Test veteran, who quit international cricket in 2002 after protesting the death of democracy during a 2003 World Cup in his homeland, instilled the team feeling among players besides being a great motivator.

“You need to get people to buy into this team thing and how important the team is and for those of us that go on the pitch, we can do a certain amount but you need guys behind the scenes pushing it,” Strauss said. “It’s encouraging to me to hear guys in the team speak about this is a fantastic team and once you start getting that feeling you become greater than the sum of your parts,” he said.

Strauss also hinted that Flower was respected by all players unlike Moores, who could never gain the team’s confidence having failed to play internationally. “You will hear very few bad words said about Andy from most of our players,” he said.
— PTI

Mohali, August 24
Top cricketers like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and VVS Laxman are likely to participate in the Invitation Inter Corporate National Cricket Tournament slated to be held from September 1 to 8. Four matches, including the second semifinal on September 6, will be played at the PCA Stadium here, while the rest will be in Bangalore, Dharamsala and Vizag.

A venture by the Board for Control of Cricket in India, the tournament winner will pocket an attractive Rs 1 crore. “The BCCI, in an order to encourage business houses, commercial firms and other public and private sector undertakings to employ and absorb cricketers in full time employment, has taken to start the tournament,” explained M P Pandove, hony secretary of the PCA, here today.

“To ensure that the corporate houses employ the cricketers, the eligibility criteria for participation of players in the tournament stipulates that only regular employees of their institution will take part in the tournament,” Pandove said.

“The only exception made is for the under-19 players where the corporates can play a maximum of two under-19 players who may be on their scolarship and not on regular employment,” Pandove, also the joint secretary of the BCCI, said. To begin with only 12 teams will take part in the competition this year. The number will increase to 16 the next year, he said.

Early this year, Australia had pulled out of its Davis Cup tie against India
citing security reasons.

Canberra/Melbourne, August 24
While for the Australian government “security of players is of prime importance and it cannot force its national sports associations or federations to participate in a particular event”, yet it has been looking forward to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi where it proposes to send a contingent of 5,000, including sportsmen and women, officials and cheer leaders.

Senior officials of the Australian government while interacting with a group of visiting Indian newsmen here maintained that it has been standard practice for them to remain in touch with the governments of nations holding major international events.

“We have been in constant touch with the Canadian government over holding of the next winter Olympic games in Vancouver early next year. We want to be sure of the safety and security of our athletes. We are also in touch with the Indian government as Australia would be a major attraction of not only the Commonwealth Games but also the 2010 World Cup Hockey Tournament to be held in New Delhi in February-March next year.”

They say that only recently Australian Sports Minister visited India as they remain keen that progress on preparation for holding the Games in New Delhi is satisfactory and all security infrastructure will be in place in time for the games.

There have been reports, including statements made by the chief coach of Australian hockey team, Richard Charlesworth, that security was major concern for his team to play in the New Delhi World Cup. Early this year, Australia had pulled out of its Davis Cup tie against India citing security concerns as the reason for its decision.

“We are hopeful that India will be ready in time to meet the specifications, including security, of the participating nations to conduct the Commonwealth Games,” the Australian officials said.

“We have already initiated our work, asking different sports bodies and others to get themselves registered for the event,” they added.

Besides, the Ministry of culture is planning a series of activities in India in 2012 to show case its diverse culture and rich heritage. Australian officials also maintain that Indo-Australian relations should not be viewed as limited to cricket only as the two nations have in recent years entered into several strategic agreements in various areas, including strengthening of cultural, social and educational ties.

New Delhi, August 24
Syria packed a punch too many to muzzle Sri Lanka 4-0 to record their second consecutive victory in the Nehru Cup International Football Tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here today. Syria, the highest-ranked team in the tournament, and last year's runners-up, were not in a hurry to score goals as they took 26 minutes to get into their groove.

Once they warmed up, three goals came in the space of 10 minutes, to shut out the hopes of Lanka. To complete the misery of Lanka, Syria knocked in one more goal ten minutes into the second half. Syria, who beat Kyrgyzstan 2-0 in their opening match, have virtually assured themselves a place in the final. In the process, they also brightened the hopes of defending champions India. A defeat for Sri Lanka is good news for the hosts, as the visitors had humbled Lebanon 4-3 in their first match.

But the Island nation were meek like lambs against Syria, displaying none of the sparks and fireworks they had produced against Lebanon. In the entire match, Lanka forced just one clear chance to score — in the 21st minute of the second half when Issadeen's shot came off a defender for a corner. The only other notable feature in their engagement was the blooding of a player from the Tamil province of Jaffna, S Satheeswaran.

He came in as a substitute for the irrepressible Channa, but could do little to rattle the Syrians. For the first 20 odd minutes, Syria were often caught in Lanka's off-side trap. Once they got out of the trap, there was no stopping the reigning runners-up. Opening up their flanks for attacks, Syria got their first goal in the 26th minute following a corner when Moutaz Kaildni pushed the ball to Wael Ayan on the left, who toed the ball up for Mohamad Alzino to head in.

It was a fitting reward for Alzino, who had previously fallen to Lanka's off-side ploy, to waste fine chances.

BRIEFLY

Roger Federer holds up the championship trophy after defeating Novak Djokovic 6-1, 7-5 at the Cincinnati Open tennis tournament
on Sunday. — AP/PTI

Sports Minister MS Gill inspects the progress of the construction work at the
National Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

UK regrets badminton pullout
NEW DELHI: British Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe called his Indian counterpart MS Gill to regret England’s eleventh hour pullout from the World Badminton Championship earlier this month in Hyderabad. A Sports Ministry official revealed that Sutcliffe called Gill on Friday to regret Badminton England’s last minute withdrawal from the elite tournament because of security reasons and assured England’s support when the capital hosts the Commonwealth Games next year.
— PTI

CA backs Ponting
MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia on Monday threw its weight behind captain Ricky Ponting and the national selection panel while promising to review the cause of the humiliating loss in the just-concluded Ashes series against England. “Ricky’s had a very, very good series. He’s been under incredible pressure. I thought the dignity and poise that he showed in defeat was something that all Australians should be very proud of,” CA Chief Executive James Sutherland said.
— PTI

Flintoff targets B’desh comeback
LONDON: Andrew Flintoff said he hoped to be back for England’s tour of Bangladesh in February after bowing out of Test cricket as an Ashes winner. The 31-year-old all-rounder’s career has been blighted by injuries and Flintoff has now decided his body can no longer stand the strain of Test cricket although he still wants to play in one-dayers.
— AFP

Six athletes arrested
Berlin: Six athletes from the world championships were arrested after a scuffle at a Berlin disco. The six were being investigated on possible charges of disturbing the peace and causing bodily harm after the incident at the Havanna Disco. The incident occurred just before 4 am on Sunday as the athletes, who were part of a group of 20 people, tried to get into the overflowing nightclub, police said.
— AP

Jeev signs off tied 17th
GREENSBORO: Jeev Milkha Singh finished a creditable tied 17th after
signing off with a steady one-under 69 in the final round of the $5.1 million Wyndham Championship golf tournament here. Jeev ended his campaign with a total of 10-under 270 after returning a bogey-free card, comprising just one birdie. The Indian thus finished the tournament with sub-par cards in all four rounds.
— PTI

Bhupathi, Paes swap rankings
NEW DELHI: The semifinal appearance at the Cincinnati Masters helped Mahesh Bhupathi replace Leander Paes at number seven, a gain of one position, in the latest ATP doubles ranking list issued on Monday. Somdev Devvarman, who will try to qualify for singles main draw of US Open, continues to be India’s top singles player at number 161 after climbing two rungs.
— PTI

National Stadium to be best: Gill
NEW DELHI: Sports Minister MS Gill on Monday expressed satisfaction at the renovation work being carried out at the National Stadium, saying state-of-the-art facilities and ultra security would be in place to make it the best hockey stadium in the world. “I have made sure that there is ultra security in the stadium. It would become the best hockey stadium in the world,” the minister said.
— PTI